Alternia Comics

In the years before Jusella's Return, Kagnar stood tall and alone on the face of Maddengrahl. To its north, the untamed range known today as the Guardian Mountains were still teaming with the warring hobgoblin armies. To its west, Otoria ruled its colony of Floregh with an iron fist from across the sea. To its south, the elves of Oelthen Forest watched their human neighbors with suspicion from beneath the darkened boughs of their home.

And on their far eastern border, the rural nobles watched their farmlands - the source of food for a young and desperate nation.

Among these, Baron Arelion's lands stretched across the easternmost land that Kagnar could call its own, against the foothills that rolled down out of the mountain range. There lived there a stable boy named Justin Dal who loved to run with the horses he tended. He dreamed of being as fast as they.

One day, he met a strange girl sitting upon his fence, watching him try to race the horses. Her name, she told him, was Larlia Cryn. Day after day he met her there, and finally she asked if she could run with him. Together they ran, and faster than any horse on the field were they. Justin and Larlia marveled at the power they had together, but found that when they ran alone, they were no faster than before. They resolved then and there that they would run together, always.

Months passed, and no friends were truer than Justin and Larlia. Then, when winter came, and they ran only to stay warm along the banks of the river that still marks Kagnar's eastern border, they saw a fire on the other side. As they watched, they saw a child smaller than they running towards them. It lept into the river and swam to them, and when they helped it out, they saw that it was no child. It was a gnome - one of the little people from the tales their parents told. The gnome, named Tigsinorth, told them how a dark force had roused the trolls from the plainsmarsh to the south and worse from their deep holes in the mountains to the north to enslave the gnomes and conquer their homes in those foothills across the river.

They took Tigsinorth on a journey across Kagnar, and had many adventures in that young land, to the Eresthesca, the Marble City, to see their king. King Killerian I was a good and just man, but many things weighed upon his mind and in all directions the threats were very real. He sent troops to watch the river and protect his precious farmlands, but could spare nothing to go into Tigsinorth's home.

Justin and Larlia took the despondant Tigsinorth back to their home in Arelion's Barony. They promised to help him start over there, to start a new life safe within the borders of Kagnar, but when they arrived, they found that dozens of gnomes had escaped. They told Justin and Larlia more tales of woe and suffering, and Tigsinorth wept with them, for he had escaped early, and even he had not known what horrors were being done.

Now Justin and Larlia were but children, but together they were no less than any heroes. They gave their solemn vow to the gnomes they found suddenly in their care that they would not rest until they could walk free in their homes once more.

The gnomes are brilliant creatures, and they made for their champions weapons of ingenuity as great as any magic. For Justin, who spent his days rough-housing with the other boys and catching small game with his father's crossbow, they made the Winter Grip Gauntlet and the Summer Storm Crossbow. For Larlia, whose father was a soldier and taught her the ways of sword and shield, they made the Spring Blade Sword and the Autumn Leaf Shield. For each, they made shoes of leather and steel that could withstand any ground and still make the two runners feel as if they were running on pillows. The one wizard among the gnomes made them a magical rope, one that would straighten out on command, to cross the river quickly.

With the gifts of the gnomes in hand, Justin and Larlia rescued more and more gnomes from slavery, and slowly formed an army to drive the dark force from the land. Try as they might, the forces of evil could not catch the child-heroes, for they were never apart, and together, nothing was as fast as they.

One dark day, however, the dark forces sent its agents across the river. They kidnapped Justin from his very bed, and took him before their evil ruler. "This is the whelp who has stood against me? You are a mere stable boy!"

"Maybe," Justin said. "Maybe alone, that is all I am. But I am never alone."

And at that moment, Larlia burst into the room, freed her friend, and armed him with his gauntlet and his crossbow. As they did battle with the guards in the throne room, the evil ruler howled in anger and demanded, "How is this possible? You were apart - your speed stolen from you!"

"Foolish would-be-king," said Larlia with a golden laugh. "There is one time we run faster than we do together."

Then Justin spoke as he aimed his crossbow at his captor's heart. "It is when we are running TO each other."

And thus was the gnomish homeland freed. In honor of their champions, the gnomes made them King and Queen, and named their new nation after them: Cryndal. Humans and gnomes live there now in harmony, and the Double-Dynasty still gives two monarchs to rule over that wonderous land.

To this day, Cryndal is defended by the virtues that created it: courage, ingenuity, and friendship.